Accused Sex Trafficker Arraigned in Federal Court

WASHINGTON — Consuelo Carreto-Valencia, an accused sex trafficker extradited to
the United States from Mexico in January, was arraigned today in federal court
on a 27-count indictment charging her with multiple counts of sex trafficking
and related crimes, the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security
announced.

Carreto-Valencia was extradited to the United States on Jan. 20, 2007. She was
arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lois Bloom in Brooklyn, N.Y. The case
has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Frederic Block.

Carreto-Valencia, her two sons, and three other defendants were indicted on
Nov. 16, 2004, on charges of conspiracy, sex trafficking, forced labor,
violations of the Mann Act, and immigration-related offenses. Together with
her sons, Josue Flores Carreto and Gerardo Flores Carreto, and other family
members, Carreto-Valencia operated a network based in San Miguel Tenancingo,
Tlaxcala, Mexico that trafficked young women into forced prostitution in Mexico
and New York City.

According to the indictment, male members of the Carreto family lured young,
uneducated women and girls from impoverished areas of Mexico into romantic
relationships and later, through a combination of deception, coercion, threats,
and sexual and physical violence, forced the young women to work as prostitutes
in Mexico and New York City. As part of this operation, Carreto-Valencia
confined some of the women at her home in San Miguel Tenancingo, Mexico. She
also collected the proceeds and profits received from the sex trafficking
business in Mexico and in the United States.

An indictment is merely an accusation, and the defendants are presumed innocent
until proven guilty.

The Carreto prosecution represents one of the largest sex trafficking cases to
date brought under the provisions of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.
On April 5, 2005, Carreto-Valencia’s sons, Josue and Gerardo Flores Carreto,
pleaded guilty to all 27 counts of the indictment. On April 27, 2006, they
were each sentenced to 50-year terms of imprisonment. A third defendant,
Daniel Perez Alonso, who also pleaded guilty, received a 25-year sentence. The
case is part of the Justice Department’s human trafficking initiative, which is
one of its highest priorities.

“Sex trafficking is a heinous crime that ruins lives and robs victims of their
dignity,” said Wan J. Kim, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights
Division. “The Justice Department will continue to vigorously seek out and
prosecute those who forcibly deny freedom in the freest country in the world.”
“Human trafficking is a crime of the cruelest exploitation. The Carreto
criminal organization subjected its victims to physical abuse and prostitution
and turned them into virtual slaves,” said Julie L. Myers, assistant secretary
of Homeland Security for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “Carreto
Valencia’s extradition from Mexico sends a clear message that these crimes will
not be tolerated and those who engage in this criminal activity cannot evade
prosecution.”

“Human traffickers prey on the hopes and dreams of their vulnerable victims,
only to lure them into sexual slavery,” stated U.S. Attorney Roslynn Mauskopf.
“This extradition opens another chapter in our continuing effort to vigorously
prosecute those who seek to buy and sell human beings.”

The case is being prosecuted by Hilary Axam of the Civil Rights Division for
the Department of Justice and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Pamela Chen and Monica
E. Ryan.